Blurring Histories: King Svätopluk I and the Shaping of Slovak Identity through Pseudohistory and Slow Memory
Blurring Histories: King Svätopluk I and the Shaping of Slovak Identity through Pseudohistory and Slow Memory

Summary/Abstract: This study examines how fabricated historical narratives and slow memory processes shape nation-building efforts in Slovakia. The authors expand Wüstenberg’s (2023) slow memory framework, suggesting that the gradual accumulation of positive pseudohistorical accounts significantly influences collective remembrance, cultivating "slow joy." Using rhetoric performative discourse analysis, the study explores the controversy surrounding the 2010 statue of King Svätopluk I in Bratislava Castle, revealing how Slovak cultural organizations and governmental entities intertwine historical facts with nationalistic lore. The curated historical accounts, marked by selective chronology and the elevation of historical icons, construct a continuous national identity with ancient origins. The paper contributes to memory studies by demonstrating the interaction of pseudohistory and slow memory in national identity formation.

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